1904 Haynes-Apperson Model F 18hp

1904 Haynes-Apperson Model F 18hp Twin Rear-Entrance Tonneau

The Apperson Brothers of Kokomo, Indiana, did not build America's first automobile, as their patron Elwood Haynes liked to claim. They did, however, built a very early U.S. "horseless carriage" in 1894, which is now immortalized in the Smithsonian Institution. The first production Haynes-Apperson was produced in 1897, and by 1904 the company was building rather advanced, well-engineered and solidly constructed two-cylinder models. That was the last year before Haynes and the Appersons went their separate ways; both would go on to build their own automobiles, well into the 1920s.

This particular Haynes-Apperson is one of two surviving examples of the company's most advanced product, the 1904 Model F, a rear-entrance tonneau with a surrey-style canopy and a conventional layout in which the engine was placed ahead of the body, in the modern fashion. In many ways the Model F was ahead of its time, having left-hand-drive and an adjustable steering column. It was also a dressy machine, with ornately designed bodywork with well-stuffed leather seats and an abundance of brass, including Phare Solar Model 27A headlamps and Dietz fender lamps and tail lamp, making it look every penny of its $2,550 list price.

Descriptions & pictures by bonhams & wikimedia & flickr